Electrical switch



R. VARLEY.

ELECTRICAL SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-21.1917.

Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

I INVENTOR KJMA If MW LL ed new and useful Improvements in Electrior brush of the fiber travels.

RICHARD VARLEY, OF ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRICAL SWITCH.

Specification of Letters lfatent. Patented Oct. 28,

' Application filed November 21, 1917. Serial No. 203,069.

To all whom, it may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD VARLEY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Englewood, in thecounty of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have inventcal Switches, of which the followin' is a full, clear, and exact description, re erence bein had. to the accompanying drawings, whic form part of this s ecification.

This invention is aistributer switch which may form part of an ignition system for internal combustion engines. The essential elements of such a distributer (whetheroperated by the usual half-time shaft or forming part of a magneto electric machine) comprise a revoluble arm or flier ,driven by a shaft, and a plurality of relatively'fixed contacts or segments concentrically arranged with respect to the axis of the shaft and symmetrically spaced from oneanother and mounted or embedded in an .insulating support or housing piece flush with asurface thereof over which-a contact Each contact is electrically vconnected'to a spark plug of a cylinder of the engine. .The brush connects with the source of energy which is under control of means including a make and break device or breaker that intermittently opens and closes a circuit to effect delivery of sparking energy to the brush as it successively traverses the contacts or segments.

It has been observed that passage of the brush from contact to contact is attended with or sets up not onlylocal sparking, the effect of which through repetition or electrical tracking is to carbonize the surface insulation between contacts, but the deposition of minute particlesof metal along said surface. This track, whether formed electrically or mechanicallyor through the action of both agencies, constitutes a conducting path along which there takes place from the brush divergence or creepage of current to such degree as to defeat in a measurethe insular separation or surface insulation of the contacts and cause preignition of the charge of a cylinder respective to a next succeeding contact and under partial compression or cause objectionable disturbance in the ignition circuits. I

The object of my invention is to overcome in switch means of the character indicated preignition or other disturbances in the ig engine.

creepage due to electrical or mechanical tracking, and to accomplish this result withsame, it being premised, however, that changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

Figure. l is a vertical sectional view of an electrical distributer, embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 33 of Fig.

2; .Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View of a modified form of my invention; and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary View, corresponding with Fig. 2, of said modified form.

The distributer shown is typical in so far as concerns its general construction; the revoluble flier switch arm' 2 is driven by a shaft-3 and housed in the casing 4 and provided with a contact brush 5 held pressed against the lower surface 6 alongwhich it travels upon revoluble driving of the arm, for successive contactual engagement of the symmetrically spaced relatively fixed contacts' or segments 7 embedded in the top piece 8 of the casing 4: and having their terminal extensions therethrough flush with the surface 6 and concentrically disposed with respect to the axis of the shaft 3, in the annular recess or groove 9 and in the path of travel of the brush 5. As will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art, the flier brush 5 connects with a source of ignition current through the central terminal 10 and contact spring or plate 10*, and thecontacts. 7 connect, through suitable terminals 7 and conductors (not shown) with the spark plugs in the cylinders of the The body or housing, 4 may be formed of rubber, bakelite or other suitable material and its surface or surfaces 6 may be formed by the lower face or faces of a separate ring 11 of rubber or other suitable material, having the annular recess 9, the ring being embedded or molded or otherwise fastened in the piece 8.

Instead of a track formed of two concentric portions or recessed, as described, I may employ a single track, as shown in Figs: 4 and 5. In this construction the flier brush 5 projects beyond the track 6 to such extent as to traverse upon rotation of the flierthe fixed contacts spaced upon the track 6 and the terminals of which are flush with the surface of the track.

By mounting the contacts in the manner above described, so as to be spaced from the surfaces 6, I overcome the tendency to formation of an electrical or mechanical tracln As will be seen, the brush 5 is so supported by the trackor tracks that it slides along the surfaces 6 or 6 without canting and therefore without mechanical interference from the contacts.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. Infa distributer, a contact brush, a body member having a continuous circular track for the contact brush, and a counter surface, and contacts projecting from said surface, and having terminals substantially from said surface, and having terminalssubstantially flush with the track, and a flier having a contact brush, said track being so arranged as to prevent canting of the brush.

3. In a distributer, a body member having a surface provided with a raised circular portion, and a brush adapted to travel along and supported by the portion against canting and a plurality of contacts projecting from the surface and spaced from the portion and having terminals substantially flush with the surface of said portion, over which the brush travels.

L. In adistributer, a body member having a circular path over which a contact brush moves, and an annular counter recess, contacts mounted in the body and having terminals disposed in the recess and substantiallyflush with the path, and a flier having a contact brush.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

RICHARD VARLEY. 

